I’m a big lover of epic fantasy, and like most fantasy lovers, also have a soft spot for dragons. I was really excited to read to this book, but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. I don’t mind trope-y books as quick, fun reads, but this book didn’t have enough redeeming factors to look past the tired structure and predictable plot lines.


What did work for me:

- Magical creatures and soulbounding are always fun concepts to explore, and I appreciated that there was consideration of how those things change from culture to culture within the world.

- At a sentence level, the writing was clear and easy to read.

What didn’t work for me:

1) The pacing and sequence of events felt off, especially in the beginning of the book. We would make a tiny step forward in progress, only to be shoved back two for about the first 25% in a way that felt unnecessary and confusing. The latter 3/4 of the book went more smoothly.

2) There was some hyper-specific world building in some areas (i.e., specific military maneuvers or battles, speciality goods from different regions), but it felt like some very simple and essential facts were overlooked or oversimplified (i.e., basic character motivations beyond ‘being evil’)

3) A lot of the side characters felt like accessories that were designed to create impact and build Jai’s character, but there wasn’t enough follow through in his feelings or in actual consequences that made me want to care about them beyond being told that they were important.

4) Speaking of side characters, I did not appreciate the depictions of female characters within this book. They felt hollow, their personalities and motivations one-dimensional, and, somehow, Jai talks about genitals (either his or theirs) almost every single time a woman is on page.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for approving my request for an e-ARC of this book! I downloaded it this morning to have it ready to read on a flight tomorrow - and somehow found myself sucked in and up to chapter three within minutes! I’m excited to see where this book goes.

Initial thoughts after finishing this on the plane - WOW! I loved this book and cannot wait for the second one! 5 stars!

2.5 on StoryGraph.

Characters:
I felt like Jai was pretty stupid and in a way that really just annoyed me. I understand that he's pretty naive, but when he would have a plan laid out, he inevitably ALWAYS did something different to mess up the plan and then would be like "Ah dang, that didn't work out..." yeah dude, because you didn't follow the plan.

Frida was fine, but I didn't feel anything particularly strong toward her either. I just didn't feel engaged with the characters much at all. Winter was obviously cute and fun, though.

Plot:
The middle part of this slogged on, for me. I'm not the biggest fan of training sequences and it felt like from the 30 or 40% mark all the way through like 80% was just incessant practice with mana and all that. How to restore mana. How to soulbreathe. Over and over. Legitimately nothing else happened for a huge portion of the book. It just wasn't all that interesting to me -- I'm not that kind of reader who eats up extensive and repetitive magic explanations and practice and training like that.

I really enjoyed most of the beginning -- the first 20ish% with the set up of the politics... and the ending had some action at least (again, with Jai being just kind of dumb to me). But yeah I honestly wanted to dnf at like 50% and would have had I not already dnf-ed a few NetGalley arcs this year.

Also the big secret was incredibly obvious pretty much immediately.

The tone of this also read a bit younger to me, and all of the dick & balls talk seemed to be trying to make it more adult. Penis talk alone does not an adult tone make, in my opinion.

3.5 stars!

This was simultaneously the slowest pace but quickest read I think I’ve ever encountered. Not a lot happened over the course of the story but there was LOTS of world building to help with the slower pace of the story. The magic system was super interesting as well as Jai’s relationship with his dragon, Winter. I think the next book will be much more entertaining now that so much of the base storyline and world has been set up in book one.

Thank you, Harper Voyager, Taran Matharu, and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like Game of Thrones and Fourth Wing, this is the perfect book for you!

The writing was exceptional, and I was hooked from the start. The MMC is essentially a political prisoner, turned dragon rider. The magic system is explained really well, and there are some very strong training scenes. The politics and world building were well thought out and I found myself holding my breath during quite a few moments.

While there is essentially no spice, the book didn't need it. There is a potential love interest and I am looking forward to seeing where that goes.

I can't wait for book 2 in The Soulbound Saga! Thank you to Taran Matharu, Netgalley and HarperVoyager for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, Harper Voyager, for the eARC and the physical ARC of this book!

Rating - 5/5 🌟

First off, I'm going to say I loved this book! This book is in 3rd person, and I usually have a rough time with that POV, but this book read so different.

This is such a unique story, and the magic and the bond between the humans and creatures are amazing and so creative!

Cannot wait to see where this story will go!

I really enjoyed this book! I’m a big fan of epic fantasy books and this really didn't disappoint. There’s great world building and politics as well as a great magic system. I liked the in depth explanation of the magic system and how it works. You also can’t go wrong with the bonding of creatures/dragons. I did find the tittle a little misleading though, I was expecting there to be actual dragon riding, but the dragon is a baby and is too small at this point. I’m assuming we will get to that later in the series though. Overall, I am excited to see where the storyline goes in future books and can’t wait to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC to read in exchange for my honest review.

“Jai is a prisoner, one living in a castle serving the elderly royal who murdered his father. He was born a third string prince to a people at war, but has lived most of his life as a hostage. His two older brothers become companions of a sort for the Sabine prince Titus, but Jai rarely leaves the palace. The Dansk royals come to marry their princess off to Prince Titus to protect the fragile peace between their nations. Jai meets the princess' handmaiden and by luck, she saves his life. Things quickly become bloody, and it's clear that Titus has no intention of allowing a peaceful future. With Jai's life now at risk, he attempts to flee and warn the Dansk of the horrors intended for them.During his escape he discovers a dragon egg and soul bonds with it. Individuals can soul bond with certain animals in order to gain the ability to use mana. They must cultivate it within themselves through a painstaking process. The mana allows them to use magic. Fire, light, speed, and strength are all available to those who have bonded with such a creature. In fact, the Sabine royal family has a deadly group of soldiers who are soul bound to Gryphon and they strike fear into the hearts of any who encounter them. The process is incredibly secretive and intended only for the elite.From there it's an epic journey of survival, endearing love for his baby dragon Winter, and determination to finally be free. Jai and the handmaiden Frida team up to escape with their lives. They encounter starvation, extreme elements, battles for their life, and one man who promises to help them survive- at a high price.”


I cannot believe the way I ate this book up. I picked up on a Saturday and did not put it down until I finished on Sunday afternoon. Everything about this book was amazing, the characters, the action, the relationship with the dragons and other animals. Some books tend to struggle with pacing especially featuring a traveling portion but I didn’t have this problem with this book like others. That ending has me dying for book 2

Overall I enjoyed this book. The first and last 20% especially had a good mix of character and setting building combined with events that moved the plot along. Jai and Frida are compelling characters, and their growth as allies throughout the middle section of the book kept me reading.

The things I didn't like were fairly minor but distracting enough to make this a book I only mostly liked. Primarily the slow pace of the middle of the book after a fairly intense start at the beginning. The details of the magic system and learning its use became a bit monotonous to me. Rufus as a character I also thought could have been detailed more during that slower part of the book which would have made him more compelling to read about.

Overall the world-building, interesting plot points, and setup for the next book will have me picking up the sequel when it comes out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of publication.

I really liked this book, but for me personally - the focus on the politics within the fantasy world is what made me rate it as 3 stars!
The first 30% of the book was a bit slow - but that’s normal for when you enter a new fantasy world as you have to attune to the writing and the world itself - I enjoyed learning about the world, meeting Jai (also cool we have a MMC and the focus is on him) and the relationships he builds with the dragons, He’s SO RESILIENT!!!
All in all, I did enjoy the book as a whole and the plot, but the ending and focus on the politics is what got me.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Harper Voyager for the Netgalley widget for DRAGON RIDER. This review is entirely my own thoughts and opinions based on the digital advance copy I read.

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DRAGON RIDER is the first book in a new series by Taran Matharu. It's the harsh story of a prince sent into slavery alongside his brothers to an empire bent on ruling all within their reach. When betrayal comes at the hands of the prince he serves, Jai flees for his life with a rare dragon egg in his hands. It's a complex fantasy world full of diversity, magic, unique animals, politics, and the harsh realities of war and conquest.

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MY THOUGHTS:

Before picking this book up, I was in a horrible rut. I was starting and stopping every book I was attempting to read. I picked this one up, and the same night, I was up until 3am in the morning and had knocked out 30% of the book in one go. I was hooked. The world building of DRAGON RIDER is complex, rich, and vibrant. The magic of this world is intricately detailed and fully fleshed out. Every race has its own uniqueness and lore. While the pacing of the story has some hiccups, the action and desire to know what happens next, kept the pages turning.

While Jai was a bit of an annoying MC, his youthful naiveness plays an important part to his character arc and him needing to come into his own. Despite growing up in slavery, he still has a heart of gold that keeps him pushing forward to do the right thing, no matter how many times it ends up blowing back in his face. I lived for his interactions with his dragonling, Winter. They were some of the most wholesome interactions that reminded me once again that I really need my own dragon.

All in all, this was a classic fantasy for me which was exactly what I was looking for. If fantasy is your jam, definitely pick this up.

I quite enjoyed this story with its political intrigue, characters that are likable, and of course dragons. There is quite a lot to like about this book, and only a couple of things I didn’t like so much. But it is still a really great read that I think many people will enjoy.

Jai is the main character of the story and his is the only point of view we get. You can tell from the start that he is smart and brave, but in many ways he is very naive. He has spent little to no time outside of the palace he lives in, and has spent little time in the company of others. Although he has read a lot about many things, there is nothing like experience to truly teach you the ways of the world. Once he is forced into the world, he has little choice to learn quickly in order to survive. Jai spends the entire book learning about himself and growing the confidence he needs to be soulbonded to a dragon. The young dragon is quite delightful and I loved watching the two of them bond.

There are many other characters in the story, especially in the first part that takes place in the palace. Some we get to know better than others. There are only two other characters that we get to know well, Frida and Rufus. Frida is the handmaiden who is also soulbound to a dragon. I liked her quite a bit and she is helpful to Jia and helps to teach him how to navigate his new found world. Rufus is a soulbound they meet on their journey. He is not quite who he seems and they are not totally trustful of him, but he does help both of them out when the need arises.

The story itself is pretty straight forward. This book has three parts to it. The first part is all about the politics of this world and how the different societies and classes work within it. The second is a survival story but it also teaches us a lot more about soulbinding and the magic around it. The final part is how Jia comes into himself and becomes the leader that he needs to be after suffering his worst hardship yet. All three of these parts are important, but the pacing in the middle does lag a bit as much of the time is spent on Jai learning to soul breath. The ending seemed a bit rushed and slightly confusing as the parties are split up.

The writing and the world building is well done. I felt totally immersed in this world and felt like I understood its workings as least as well as Jia. It is not a happy story and there are many dark and gruesome scenes throughout. Some that Jia is only a witness to, but others that he is a participant in or a victim of. There are some bright spots, most between Jia and his dragon, but these are few and far between.

I thought that this was a great start to a new series. I am very much looking forward to reading the next book, and hope that there will be many more to follow. This is a fantastic new world and some great characters that I want to spend more time with. Highly recommend to those of you who enjoy high fantasy with great world building and characters you can fall in love with.

I thought the book started off strong but it was too slow paced for my liking. I wanted to DNF it 40% way through. I skimmed through most of it until it started picking back up toward the end. I felt like a 1/3 of the book was just about mana.

The world building and character development were well executed and I enjoyed most of the plot.


Thank you to the author and publisher for the this pre-released copy from NetGalley.

This book was an absolute masterpiece. The storyline was captivating from beginning to end, filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The author's use of tone added another layer of depth to the already compelling plot, making it a truly immersive reading experience. I cannot recommend this book enough - truly a must-read for any avid reader.

Once I started this, I couldn't put it down! It was such a refreshing story. The world building is beautiful, unique but with real-world roots that makes it easier to understand. Loved the main character's growth through the book. I can't wait to read the finalized version and see what the series has in store for Jai, Winter and a certain handmaiden!

Dragon Rider is an intriguing start to the Soulbound Saga.

If you were to ask me to give you a short synopsis I would have to say, there is a prince who is more like a slave, a servant from a mysterious kingdom, and a baby dragon. Mix in an on the road adventure while running from the bad guys.

All in all I enjoyed this book. The world building at the beginning was a little slow, but pacing did even out.

I’m the first one to yell about how much I love dragons and political intrigue but the execution was unfortunately not there for this one. The pacing was uneven, huge action scenes with slower traveling and training between without a real clear sense of why we should care about these characters. This book feels like a long prologue.

I think I would like this more if I were new to fantasy. Sort of in the way I loved Eragon as a younger reader. But now that I have been steeped in the tropes of fantasy for so long this fell flat. We follow our main character Jai through many of the classic dragon fantasy story beats, young protagonist bonds with dragon, has to go on the run, meets old mentor, etc.

What made this less engaging than some of the other books of this persuasion was that the main character was being dragged along by the plot rather than him making actions/taking steps to move the story along. I did not feel like there was any agency for him even when there were decisions to be made.

I didn’t dislike it out right though, I enjoy the subversion of the trope of kind wise mentor character. And per usual the dragon Winter is the best character.

Overall this book tried to do a lot and succeeded in some of it. Long stretches in the middle were repetitive and too expository. The story and themes would benefit from stronger writing, but the story as a whole had enough interesting that I kept reading. Not sure if I am invested enough to check out a sequel though.
2.5

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

In the last couple of years I've read a few books by YA authors delving into writing adult fantasy. Every one of them flopped in my opinion. Needless to say, I was skeptical about picking this one up. But, it has dragons! So of course I had to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised.

Jai is the son of Rohan, the leader of one of the Steppefolk tribes. When Rohan lost the war against the Sabines, he was executed and his sons made prisoners of the Sabine Emperor. Jai has been the ward of the aging Emperor for years now. The Sabine empire has since passed to the son of the man that killed his father.

Emperor Constantine has made a match between his son and the Dansk princess. Uniting their people will expand the empire and give the Sabines what they've never had. Dragons.

I had a great time reading this. I love dragon books, political fantasy, and interesting magic. This has all of those things. I also loved Jai, Frida, Winter, and Rufus. There are plenty of characters to loathe as well.

Incredible! Constantly amazing! I felt as if I were traveling with Jai and Frida and learning to soulbond alongside them! Winter stole my heart!